Edmonton Oilers fans have been waiting all summer for concrete news about the contract status of star forward Leon Draisaitl.
The 28-year-old centre is coming off his fifth career 100-point season and upped his stock even further by subsequently helping lead the Oilers to their first Stanley Cup Final in 18 years.
Draisaitl is entering the final year of his current contract with the Oilers and, if nothing changes, would become eligible to test unrestricted free agency on July 1, 2025.
All reports to this point have indicated that the Draisaitl camp is interested in hammering out a long-term extension with the Oilers, but according to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, negotiations between the two sides have not yet begun.
“On Draisaitl extension, sounds like the two sides have been in touch but actual negotiations haven’t started yet, those will commence here shortly,” Rishaug tweeted Wednesday morning. “So any notion that it’s close to done is premature as of today.”
On Draisaitl extension, sounds like the two sides have been in touch but actual negotiations haven’t started yet, those will commence here shortly. So any notion that it’s close to done is premature as of today.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) July 31, 2024
It’s safe to say Draisaitl’s new contract will include a substantial raise over his current $8.5 million cap hit, which was widely viewed as a slight overpay relative to the market when he first re-signed with the Oilers back in 2017 but is now considered a major bargain.
The Oilers originally selected Draisaitl with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. The Cologne, Germany product made his NHL debut with the Oilers in the 2014-15 season and firmly established himself as a top-six forward the following year before becoming a full-fledged star in 2016-17.
Under interim general manager Jeff Jackson, the Oilers got off to an extremely busy start to the 2024 offseason, bringing in UFAs Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, and Josh Brown while re-signing Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Troy Stecher, and Calvin Pickard. The Oilers also traded Ryan McLeod to the Buffalo Sabres for prospect Matt Savoie.
On July 24, the Oilers hired embattled ex-Chicago Blackhawks executive Stan Bowman to succeed Ken Holland as their full-time general manager. Bowman has yet to make his mark as Oilers GM but will be tasked with attempting to re-sign Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Evan Bouchard over the next two seasons.
Through 719 career NHL games over 10 seasons with the Oilers, Draisaitl has collected 347 goals and 850 points. The 6’2″ forward has added 41 goals and 108 points in 74 career playoff contests.
